Looking around

Like all those Walking the Rite Way in August the pace might be a little gentler. As in the parish accompanying those who are continuing their journey to Easter we won’t stop and say switch off your ‘faith button’ nobody wants to know about faith in August. We will continue on the journey and maybe the slower pace will allow us to point out things we might otherwise have missed.

Why no one should join the RCIA

One of many things I enjoy about the Team RCIA blog is the ability to express clearly and succinctly some of the issues faced by RCIA teams – even when they may not be aware there might be an issue in the first place! I particularly enjoyed the recent posting Why no one should join the RCIA as it articulated something I have been aware of for a while use of the letters ‘RCIA’ as a kind of fairy dust that validates everything we might do.

One of the questions the Network Executive will be reflecting on at its September meeting will how do we present RCIA to the outside world. I am sure this article will help our discussion but we would also welcome local experience as well.

development matters!

One of the great achievements in ecumenism and liturgy has been the adoption of the Revised Common Lectionary by many non-Catholic denominations. A revision of our own Roman Lectionary which in particular reviewed how the Old Testament was used there is however far more in common between the two versions than there is different. One fruit of this is that most Sundays any church that uses a Lectionary will be hearing the same Gospel being proclaimed – a communion of the Word. Another fruit is the greater number of scripture resources that become available to us.

One I came across recently is on the website of the Anglican diocese of Bath and Wells – development matters! global issues linked to the lectionary. For every Sunday there is a note on the themes and ideas in the text, and then notes on contemporary parallels, comments and questions. The themes are linked within background notes, stories, invitations to action and prayer.